Cleansing lotion for personal hygiene

ABSTRACT

A CLEANSING PREPARATION IN LOTION-LIKE FROM DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR PERSONAL HYGIENE AND PROCTOLOGICAL USE, CHARACTERIZED BY PARTICULAR VISCOSITY AND HORIZONTAL WICKING RATE.

Jan. 11, E c E N CLEANSING LOTION FOR PERSONAL HYGIENE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Feb. 24, 1969 {0.0 '1, Mac 300 Cg:

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cm: 500 c c is c s 7 3 Time Minuces Figure 1' Jan. 11, 1972 1 E. c.EVANS 3,634,259

CLEANSING LOTION FOR PERSONAL HYGIENE Filed Feb. 24, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Figure 2 United States Patent O 3,634,259 CLEANSING LOTION FORPERSONAL HYGIENE Ernest C. Evans, Appleton, Wis., assignor to Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis. Filed Feb. 24, 1969, Ser. No. 801,272Int. Cl. Clld 1/00 US. Cl. 252-89 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Acleansing preparation in lotion-like form designed especially forpersonal hygiene and proctological use, characterized by a particularviscosity and horizontal wicking rate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In practicing personal hygiene, there is agreat need for a convenient means for cleansing the skin in the anal andperianal zones after defecation. In Europe, in many parts of SouthAmerica, and in other scattered parts of the world, a flush basin knownas the bidet is a standard bathroom fixture especially designed for thispurpose, and is considered by physicians as a real advance in cultureand in hygiene. Even though the United States manufactures and exportsbidets, it must be said, unfortunately, that they are rarely found inthe American home.

The present practice is to wipe the anal region with absorbent toiletpaper after a bowel movement. While the absorbent paper is effective inremoving the major portion of the feces it does not do an etficient joband tends to smear rather than cleanse. Vigorous rubbing also has anabrasive effect, no matter how soft the paper, and such rubbingfrequently bruises sensitive tissues permitting bacteria to enter thebroken anal and perianal skin areas whereby the body is more easilysusceptible to infection.

While the majority of proctologists advice that water is by far the mosteffective cleansing agent for the purpose, it is unfortunate that wateris not readily available in a convenient form in most lavatories otherthan as provided by the bidets mentioned above, and thus is not used forcleansing as commonly as it should be used for that purpose. Thisinvention is directed to a means for providing an aqueous medium in aform which is readily adapted for cleansing use, and which may besupplied in suitable dispensing fixtures, or which may be carried by theuser in a small squeeze bottle or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an aqueoussolution of a water-soluble resin in an amount sufficient to increasethe viscosity of the water up to a range which permits it to bedeposited on absorbent toilet tissue without prematurely spreading outon the paper and/or penetrating therethrough. The solution also has -aslow wicking rate which makes it capable of eventually wetting thetissue upon standing, or if pressure is applied in use. The solution hasa lotion-like feel and appearance, and when it is applied to the skin itspreads easily and has a cool, soothing effect. This lotion-likesolution is effective in cleansing the skin with one or moreapplications, and accomplishes this task without excessive wiping andaccompanying abrasion. Any residual dampness after cleansing may beremoved with lotion-free paper.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide acleansing lotion particularly adapted for personal hygiene andproctological use.

An additional object is to provide a cleansing lotion which may beapplied to absorbent toilet tissue without 3,634,259 Patented Jan. 11,1972 prematurely spreading out on the paper surface and/or penetratingtherethrough.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent byreference to the following specification and accompanying drawingswherein there is described various selected embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a graph showing viscositiesand wicking times of various solutions, including both desirable andundesirable types.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation, partly in section, of a testingset-up used to measure the wicking time of the various solutions chartedin FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In making a preliminaryresearch study directed toward finding suitable cleansing agents whichmight be capable of application to toilet paper for purposes of analcleansing, it was found that most water-based liquids and lotionsavailable on the market, and which might possibly be adapted for thispurpose, were of such a nature that they either penetrated the absorbentpaper so rapidly that the strength of the paper was destroyed and thepaper ruptured easily and became useless for its intended purpose, orthat they would not wet the paper or skin at all and thus wereineffective as cleansing agents. Oily or fattyacid based liquids werealso ineffective for similar reasons. It became apparent, therefore,that what was needed was a water-based material sufficiently viscous innature to stay on the surface of absorbent paper and yet suflicientlyfluid to spread easily when applied to the skin with the paper. Afterextensive studies involving many trials and errors it was found that thedesired properties were provided by some aqueous solutions of particularwater-soluble resins in amounts to provide a solution having aBrookfield LVF viscosity in the range of 2000 to 7000 centipoisesmeasured at 20 rpm. with a No. 3 spindle. While some aqueous solutionsin the above-noted viscosity range worked satisfactorily, it was foundthat more than viscosity was required to provide a suitable lotion. Inother words, some materials which fell in the preferred viscosity rangewould not penetrate the paper at all, or wet the skin sufliciently toperform the cleansing function. After further study it was determinedthat wicking ability was a determining factor in providing these latterproperties. It became apparent that a useful fluid should have theability to penetrate absorbent paper, but that the rate of penetrationshould be slow and gradual.

After it was determined that wicking rate could be measured by using astandardized absorbent paper having carefully controlled porosity andmeasuring the speed at which the fluid being tested travels in thepaper, a test was devised to measure wicking rate and establish operableranges.

Suitable test equipment for this purpose is shown in FIG. 2. Ahorizontal plate 12 of clear acrylic plastic is provided, and has placedon its surface a strip of No. 1 Whatman Filter paper 13, out A wide. Ontop of this paper strip is placed a second or loading plate 14 of clearacrylic plastic, and a 500 gm. weight 15 is placed on top of plate 14.The total loading of the system is about 25 gms./sq. in.

A vessel 16 is completely filled with the fluid 17 to be tested andmoved into position so that the top surface of the fluid touches thelower surface of plate 12 and so that at least the tip of the filterpaper 13 is in contact with the fluid 17. The lower plate 12 iscalibrated in tenths of inches, and the overhang of the paper is set ata predetermined length, in this case /2 inch, so that the progression ofthe wet column along the paper and plate may be noted in measurableincrements. Readings are taken every half minute of time lapse. Thewetted column length in inches is plotted as a function of time inminutes. Results of a number of tests are shown in FIG. 1 where theslope of each plot is an indication of the speed of Wicking. In general,as the vicosity of any particular solution is increased, the slope ofthe line decreases. It is noted that the wicking rate is not the samefor different fluid compositions of the same viscosity.

By referring to the chart it will be noted that water alone, with aviscosity of 1, has the fastest wicking rate. A solution containing0.15% of the ammonium salt of carboxypolymethylene (CPM) has aBrookfield viscosity of 500 centipoises and a wicking rate of about 0.1inch per minute. A solution containing 0.19% CPM has a viscosity of 1000cps. and a wicking rate of about 0.1 to about 0.06 inch per minute.Solutions containing 0.21% CPM to 0.26% CPM have viscosities rangingfrom 2000 cps. to 7000 cps. and wicking ranges of about 0.03" to about0.05" per minute.

The ranges of viscosity and wicking rate in the latter group were foundto provide lotions with the desired properties.

Liquids above this range wetted the paper too rapidly. Those below thisrange were too viscous and did not wet the paper or skin sufficiently todo an effective cleansing job.

Among the latter were solutions using various percentages ofhydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). It will benoted from the FIG. 1 graph, that the solutions containing these lattertwo resins had very low wicking rates and most of them did not wick atall. Solutions containing 0.09%, 0.11%, and 0.15% HEC, respectively, hadviscosities of 300, 1300 and 3000 centipoises, respectively, and did notwick at all, as indicated by the line coincident with the base line fortime in minutes. A solution containing 4.0% CMC at 5000 cps. also didnot wick. When the solution containing HEC was diluted still further to0.03% HEC, the solution had a viscosity of 45 cps. and wicked onlyslightly.

From the above it will be noted that the only satisfactory solutionsfound were those containing the carboxypolymethylene resin.Carboxypolymethylene resins are well-known thickeners, and most commonlycomprise carboxypolymethylene resin neutralized with ammonium hydroxideand used in the form of the ammonium salt. Other alkalis, such as sodiumor potassium hydroxide may also be used.

While any of the concentrations in the useful ranges as set forth abovemay be used, a preferred formulation comprised 0.24% of the ammoniumsalt of carboxypolymethylene resin; 96.66% water; and 0.1% preservative,in the latter case hexachlorophene. This mixture had a viscosity ofabout 5000 cps. and a wicking rate of about .04" per minute. Whendeposited onto absorbent paper, this aqueous solution stood on thesurface in globular form and did not soak through to any noticeabledegree even after several minutes. When applied to the skin it had anagreeable cool feeling, and cleansed test areas adequately. Any surpluswas easily removed with a dry sheet of paper.

While the alkali salt of carboxymethylene resin when used alone issufficient to obtain the desired results, other ingredients may be addedif desired. For example up to 5% of a lubricant such as glycerylmonostearate may be used. Cetyl alcohol is another satisfactorylubricant. These materials provide a smoother, easier to apply lotionwhich is sometimes desired. Addition of these materials tend to increaseviscosity of the CPM solutions, but as long as the viscosity iscontrolled between 2000 and 7000 cps. the wicking rate remains in asatisfactory range. In addition, bactericidal agents such as thepreviously mentioned hexachlorophene, bithionol and the like may beused. For esthetic and cosmetic effects, coloring materials andfragrances may also be added.

It is also preferred that deionized water be used so that the desiredviscosities may be more easily controlled.

While the above describes preferred embodiments of the invention variouschanges may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleansing lotion especially adapted for proctological useconsisting essentially of an aqueous solution of a water-soluble resin,said resin being an alkali metal or ammonium salt ofcarboxypolymethylene and being present in the amount of from about 0.21%to about 0.26% by weight, said solution being characterized by aBrookfield LVF viscosity of between 2000 and 7000 centipoises measuredwith a No. 3 spindle at 20 r.p.m. and being further characterized by ahorizontal wicking rate of from .03" to .05" per minute.

2. The lotion of claim 1 in which the aqueous medium is deionized water.

3. The lotion of claim 1 in which said alkali metal salt is selectedfrom the group consisting of ammonium, potassium, and sodium salts.

4. The lotion of claim 3 in which said salt is the ammonium salt ofcarboxypolymethylene.

5. The lotion of claim 1 in which said solution also contains alubricant selected from the group consisting of glyceryl monostearateand cetyl alcohol in an amount less than 5% by Weight.

6. The lotion of claim 1 in which said solution also contains about 0.1%by weight of a preservative selected from the group consisting ofhexachlorophene and bithionol.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,786,513 12/1930 Zuckerman252-91 2,798,053 7/1957 Brown 25291 2,999,265 9/1961 Duane et a1. 252913,011,950 12/1961 Mehalfey 42478 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,984 1874 GreatBritain 15104.93

OTHER REFERENCES Carbopol, Chem. & Eng. News, Sept. 29, 1958, pp. 64-5.

LEON D. ROSDOL, Primary Examiner W. E. SCHULZ, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 252-92; 424-78

